Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Knowing osteoarthritis symptoms is crucial to figuring out whether or not you have the disease. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which means that it gets worse over time. It is the result of the unnatural wearing down of the cartilage that acts as a cushion between the joints. Without this cartilage, the bones will rub up against each other creating inflammation. This causes a great deal of pain to the person suffering from the disease when the afflicted joints are weight bearing joints, especially during walking or standing. The pain will cause the person to exercise less leading to atrophy of the surrounding muscles. This will make it even more difficult for them to get around and lead a normal life.

Symptoms

If you think you may have osteoarthritis, check for the following osteoarthritis symptoms. The primary symptom is pain in the hands, hips, knees, feet, and spine. The pain is usually in connection with some activity; the pain will get worse during the activity and then generally subside. Generally, pain is worse during the end of the day. Pain will even be present during rest as the condition progresses. Another popular symptom is stiffness in the afflicted joints usually lasting about an hour after activity. The stiffness can occur in the morning after a long sleep or after sitting for a long time. A person suffering from osteoarthritis may also have limited motion in the afflicted joints. The joints will become tender and swelling may occasionally occur. In the later stages of the disease, deformity of the joints may occur. Finally, painful cracking or creaking in the joints may occur. While this cracking may happen in other, healthy joints, it is not usually connected with pain.

Conclusion

These osteoarthritis symptoms can range in intensity from minor to major. This depends on factors like which joints are affected. If it is mostly weight bearing joints that are affected, than symptoms will be much worse. The hips and knees are two primary examples. While osteoarthritis can still be quite painful in non-weight bearing joints, such as the fingers for examples, it is not nearly as bad as when it affects the weight bearing joints. If you have one or more of these osteoarthritis symptoms, go see your primary care physician. They will be able to see if you have the disease and give help you do your best to combat it. They will give pain medication, exercise programs, and nutritional advice as well, such as which supplements to take.